JUST WATCHED

Ukraine protesters clash with police

MUST WATCH

Story highlights

Yanukovych invites "all political forces, priests, public figures" to hold a "dialogue"

Interior minister says there will be no crackdown on protest, state media reports

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry voices U.S. "disgust" with overnight crackdown

Undeterred by an overnight crackdown by authorities, protesters in the center of the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, rebuilt barricades Wednesday that had been torn down hour earlier by riot police.

As the day continued, police pulled back from the city's Independence Square, or Maidan, and the country's leaders sought to play down fears of a further clampdown.

Earlier, hundreds of officers used chainsaws to pull down the barriers, which had been manned by pro-Western demonstrators. Clashes led to reports of injuries on both sides.

Angry about the refusal of Ukraine's Russian-allied President Viktor Yanukovych to sign an agreement that would strengthen cooperation with the European Union, thousands of demonstrators have been camped out for days in Independence Square.

They also continue to occupy Kiev's City Hall.

Wednesday's predawn crackdown on protesters brought condemnation from Western leaders.

Photos:Photos: Ukraine protests

Photos:Photos: Ukraine protests

Ukraine protests – Newlyweds Mikhail and Margarita Nakonechniy kiss in front of barricades on Independence Square in a gesture of support for pro-Europe activists in Kiev, Ukraine, on Saturday, December 21. Protesters have poured into the streets of the Ukrainian capital, angered by their government's move away from the European Union in favor of closer ties with Russia.

Ukraine protests – A girl wearing a traditional Ukrainian wreath attends an opposition rally in Independence Square on December 17.

Hide Caption

3 of 77

Photos:Photos: Ukraine protests

Ukraine protests – A young girl stands next to police officers guarding the presidential offices in central Kiev on December 17.

Hide Caption

4 of 77

Photos:Photos: Ukraine protests

Ukraine protests – Protesters sit behind wood bricks in Independence Square on December 17. Written on the bricks are names of Ukrainian settlements whose inhabitants are taking part in the demonstrations.

Hide Caption

5 of 77

Photos:Photos: Ukraine protests

Ukraine protests – Flowers are stuck on barriers in front of Ukrainian Interior forces guarding Kiev's administrative district on December 17.

Ukraine protests – Activists warm themselves beside a bonfire as they guard barricades at Independence Square on Monday, December 16.

Hide Caption

9 of 77

Photos:Photos: Ukraine protests

Ukraine protests – Pro-EU activists cook during a rally in Independence Square on Sunday, December 15.

Hide Caption

10 of 77

Photos:Photos: Ukraine protests

Ukraine protests – U.S. Sens. John McCain, center, and Chris Murphy, right, join Ukrainian opposition leader Vitali Klitschko during a mass rally at Independence Square on December 15. McCain told protesters seeking closer ties with Europe, "The free world is with you, America is with you."

Hide Caption

11 of 77

Photos:Photos: Ukraine protests

Ukraine protests – An estimated 200,000 pro-EU activists gather during a rally in Independence Square on December 15.

Hide Caption

12 of 77

Photos:Photos: Ukraine protests

Ukraine protests – People sing, shout slogans and wave Ukrainian and EU flags during a mass rally in Independence Square on December 15.

Hide Caption

13 of 77

Photos:Photos: Ukraine protests

Ukraine protests – Pro-EU activists wave flags around the monument to the founders of Kiev during a rally in Independence Square on December 15.

Hide Caption

14 of 77

Photos:Photos: Ukraine protests

Ukraine protests – A couple of pro-EU activists share a tender moment at a tent camp in Kiev on December 15.

Hide Caption

15 of 77

Photos:Photos: Ukraine protests

Ukraine protests – Pro-EU activists, one waving the EU flag, gather during a rally in Kiev on December 15.

Ukraine protests – A protester shouts slogans and waves a flag of the Batkivshchyna party during a protest near the Ukrainian Security Service building in Kiev on December 15.

Hide Caption

18 of 77

Photos:Photos: Ukraine protests

Ukraine protests – Ukrainian opposition supporters gather at a mass rally in Kiev on December 15.

Hide Caption

19 of 77

Photos:Photos: Ukraine protests

Ukraine protests – Demonstrators by the thousands rally in Independence Square on Saturday, December 14.

Hide Caption

20 of 77

Photos:Photos: Ukraine protests

Ukraine protests – People go through a police line separating the competing rallies of opposition protesters in Independence Square and supporters of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in Kiev on December 14.

Hide Caption

21 of 77

Photos:Photos: Ukraine protests

Ukraine protests – Supporters of the president wave flags of the ruling Party of Regions, as well as Ukrainian flags, during a rally on Kiev's European Square on December 14.

Hide Caption

22 of 77

Photos:Photos: Ukraine protests

Ukraine protests – Anti-government protesters guard a barricade designed to keep police from evicting them from Independence Square on Friday, December 13.

Hide Caption

23 of 77

Photos:Photos: Ukraine protests

Ukraine protests – Protesters stand at a barricade in Kiev on December 13.

Hide Caption

24 of 77

Photos:Photos: Ukraine protests

Ukraine protests – Protesters hold Ukrainian national flags as they picket the Ukrainian House during round-table talks between Yanukovych, former presidents and leaders of the opposition on December 13.

Hide Caption

25 of 77

Photos:Photos: Ukraine protests

Ukraine protests – Riot police storm barricades set up by pro-EU protesters in Independence Square on Wednesday, December 11.

Hide Caption

26 of 77

Photos:Photos: Ukraine protests

Ukraine protests – Riot police move against protesters on Independence Square around 2 a.m. December 11. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry expressed "disgust" over the crackdown.

Hide Caption

27 of 77

Photos:Photos: Ukraine protests

Ukraine protests – A protester calls for attention inside Kiev's City Hall after riot police were forced out from blocking the front door on December 11.

Hide Caption

28 of 77

Photos:Photos: Ukraine protests

Ukraine protests – Police enter Independence Square on December 11.

Hide Caption

29 of 77

Photos:Photos: Ukraine protests

Ukraine protests – Riot police officers block the entrance of Kiev's City Hall as protesters pour water from windows and throw smoke grenades at them on December 11.

Hide Caption

30 of 77

Photos:Photos: Ukraine protests

Ukraine protests – A young police officer guards a roadblock on Institutskaya Street near the presidential area in Kiev on December 11.

JUST WATCHED

Clashes in the streets of Kiev

MUST WATCH

Clashes in the streets of Kiev02:09

But U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, after a two-hour meeting with Yanukovych on Wednesday, said there was still "a way out" for his government.

"It was a tough conversation, but it was a realistic one," she told reporters in Kiev. "I made it absolutely clear to him that what happened last night, what has been happening in security terms here, is absolutely impermissible in a European state, in a democratic state.

"But we also made clear that we believe there is a way out for Ukraine, that it is still possible to save Ukraine's European future and that ... we want to see the President lead."

A picture posted to Twitter by the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Geoff Pyatt, showed Nuland handing food earlier Wednesday to security forces and protesters in the square.

Talks

Yanukovych called for talks.

"I invite representatives of all political forces, priests, public figures to hold the nationwide dialogue," he said on the official presidency website.

"Personally I am ready to take part in such panel discussion. In order to achieve compromise, I urge the opposition not to refuse, not to choose the path of confrontation and ultimatums."

But his jailed chief political opponent, Yulia Tymoshenko, dismissed any call for negotiations, urging Ukrainians to "stand up," and repeating previous opposition calls for early elections.

"No negotiations or roundtables with bandits -- only the immediate resignation of Yanukovych and his entourage," a statement posted on her official website said.

"I also appeal to the leaders of the democratic world. Every time a Berkut (riot police) baton strikes a blow on a peaceful protester defending Maidan it is a blow to the universal values that you are trying to make the foundation of human life."

Tymoshenko has been in jail for two years after being convicted of abuse of power in 2011. The verdict was decried by the EU and other critics as a sham.

During allies in Independence Square, protesters have carried her picture.

Interior minister: 'No crackdown'

Earlier,Ukrainian Interior Minister Vitaliy Zakharchenko said there would be no attempt to disperse the protesters and that police were just trying to keep the roads clear.

"I want to reassure everyone -- there will be no crackdown of the Maidan," he said, according to the official Ukrinform news agency.

"Nobody is infringing on citizens' right to peaceful protests. However, one cannot ignore the rights and lawful interests of other citizens."

Before that, the Interior Ministry said 10 policemen were injured between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. while acting on a court order to dislodge protesters from the city center and restore the free movement of traffic.

It was not clear how many protesters were hurt in the clashes. City officials put the number at 30, while Health Minister Raisa Bogatyryova said 13 were hurt.

Ukrainian opposition leader Vitali Klitschko, a former heavyweight boxing champion, said Yanukovych had "burned the bridge to a civilized resolution of the political crisis," according to his Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform party.

Klitschko said the demonstrators' goals were "a full reload of the government and punishment for those guilty in clearing up the protests."

Meanwhile, Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov told a government meeting Wednesday that Ukraine was still open to signing the European integration deal if the European Union would agree to providing financial assistance to Ukraine of around 20 billion euros ($27.5 billion).

He suggested European officials were more interested in monitoring the protests than in discussing a financial deal that would benefit the Ukrainian people, according to a government news release.

U.S. 'disgust' at crackdown

In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters that "all options" were under consideration in Ukraine, including sanctions.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry condemned the crackdown on protesters.

"The United States expresses its disgust with the decision of Ukrainian authorities to meet the peaceful protest in ... Maidan Square with riot police, bulldozers, and batons, rather than with respect for democratic rights and human dignity," he said in a statement. "This response is neither acceptable, nor does it befit a democracy."

Kerry urged the "utmost restraint" by authorities, saying "human life must be protected."

UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said he was "deeply concerned" about the Ukraine government's decision to send in riot police against peaceful protesters.

"The concerns of protesters should be met with dialogue, not violence," he said.

The police crackdown came hours after EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton met with Yanukovych and visited the protest site in the central square.

"The moves that were made to try and clear the blockades were done in a way that was unacceptable," Ashton told CNN in Kiev on Wednesday.

"And when I spoke with (Yanukovych) for three-and-a-half hours yesterday, one of the things we talked about was the importance of dialogue and the importance of convening what the three former presidents have described as ... a roundtable. ... It's harder to convene a dialogue when people have seen what they believe has been inappropriate action."

Ashton had met Tuesday with opposition leaders.

The scenes of protest are reminiscent of the uprising that swept Yanukovych from office nine years ago during the Orange Revolution, when he was prime minister.

East vs. West

Yanukovych's refusal to sign the EU deal represents a U-turn in the country's advance toward closer relations with the West.

An EU agreement would have opened borders to trade and set the stage for modernization and inclusion, protesters say. They accuse Yanukovych of preparing to take the country into a Moscow-led customs union.

Moscow has leverage that may have affected Yanukovych's decision to backpedal on the EU talks because Russia supplies Ukraine with natural gas.

Yanukovych said Tuesday that he was "strongly against opposing relations with Europe in favor of relations with Russia and vice versa."

The EU is also pressuring Yanukovych to free Tymoshenko

The Orange Revolution that swept Yanukovych from office in 2004 also brought the pro-Western Tymoshenko to power.